Research

Dissertation & Job Market Paper

My dissertation focuses on corporate political activity (CPA) and its relationship to corporate governance and stakeholder interests and will be organized as a three-chapter study. My job market paper encompasses the first and second chapters. 

The first chapter investigates how CPA and firms’ political positioning influence downsizing decisions under performance decline. I theorize political positioning as a form of firm reputation that shapes audience expectations and constrains managerial decisions. The second chapter empirically tests this mechanism by examining how stock analysts' earnings forecasts reflect and transmit these expectations. The third chapter analyzes how union shareholder activism shapes firms’ disclosure of political spending. My research responds to the growing interest in how political polarization and scrutiny of corporate political engagement affect firm behavior. I contribute to the CPA literature by proposing an audience-centered perspective on how CPA influences firm decisions, moving beyond the traditional regulatory focus of prior studies.

Publications

Han, K. H., & Benton, R. A. (2025). The Adverse Impact of Accountability Policies: Performance-based Funding, Diversity Outcomes, and Organizational Visibility. Forthcoming, Socio-Economic Review.

Kramer, A., Han, K. H., Kim, Y. K., & Kramer, K. Z. (2024). Inefficiencies and Bias in First Job Placement: The Case of Professional Asian Nationals in the United States. Journal of Industrial Relations, 66(2), 263-290. 

Book Chapters & Reports

Han, K. H., Lamare, J. R., & Zhang, T. (2024). The Evolution of Industrial Relations Research Methods: A Review of Key Union Effects Studies From the Late 20th to Early 21st Century. In: Parker, Jane, Donnelly, Noelle, Ressia, Sue and Gavin, Mihajla, (eds.) Field Guide to Researching Employment and Industrial Relations. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK.

Han, K. H., Zhang, T., & Bruno, R. (2024). Union Representation During a Pandemic: The Case of K-12 School COVID Protocols, Public Health and Individual Autonomy. Project for Middle Class Renewal. 

Working Papers

The Impact of Corporate Political Activity on Downsizing and Financial Market Assessments

— Job Market Paper (submission planned for Strategic Management Journal, Fall 2025)

[Title Blinded for Review] (1st author; with Sunjin Pak)

— Under Review at Journal of Management

[Title Blinded for Review] (1st author; with Ryan Lamare & Tingting Zhang)

— Under Review at Industrial Relations Journal

Diversity-Social Network Research (4th author; with Hyuntak Roh, Hongseok Oh, & Wookje Sung)

— Preparing for Submission (planned for Fall 2025)

Early-Stage Projects

Political Determinants of CDO Adoption (2nd author; with Richard Benton & Eunmi Mun)

— Manuscript Writing (submission planned for Administrative Science Quarterly, Spring 2026)

Crisis Moment and Organizational Effectiveness (2nd author; with Tingting Zhang & Robert Bruno)

— Manuscript Writing (submission planned for ILR Review, Spring 2026)

Shareholder Activism and CPA Disclosure (Dissertation 3rd Chapter)

— Data Collection (submission planned for Organization Science, Fall 2026)

Meta Analysis on HPWS and Employee Well-Being (3rd author; with Amit Kramer & Yin Lee)

— Data Collection Stage (submission planned for Academy of Management Journal, Fall 2026)